Method and system for gaming over a computer network

ABSTRACT

A networked, online gaming system and method of operation, the system including a plurality of players, each operating a game playing computer interconnected over a network with a gaming server computer. The gaming server computer generates a profile for each of the players, which may include the player&#39;s gaming proficiency, and socioeconomic and physical data of the player. The gaming server computer matches the players (as teammates or opponents) to play a game based on the profile of the players, supervises the game played by the matched players, modifies controllable parameters of the game being played, and manages a reward point account provided for each player.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The present invention relates to computer gaming, and inparticular to computer gaming in an online community, over a computernetwork.

[0002] Computer gaming has become extremely popular, evidenced by theprevalence of dedicated game consoles such as MICROSOFT XBOX, NINTENTO64 and GAMECUBE, SONY PLAYSTATION and PS2, as well as handheld productssuch as GAMEBOY and GAMEBOY ADVANCE, and the use of gaming software ongeneral purpose personal computers. Recently, games are included onportable devices such as cell phones, pagers, PDAs, etc. In addition toplaying games with one to four people on a single gaming machine aslisted above, the use of computer networks has allowed players in remotelocations to connect with each other and play games against each otherby using their respective gaming machine. This has spawned online gamingcommunities that do not require physical presence of opponents orteammates in order to play a game.

[0003] Online, or networked, gaming is in its infancy, however. Priorart gaming systems do not address critical functions that relate toonline gaming, such as player matching (opponent and teammates), skillmeasurement, player profiling, reward compensation systems, paymentsystems, etc. The present invention addresses these many issues in orderto implement an online networked gaming system that is advantageous inmany respects over the prior art.

[0004] It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide anetworked gaming environment that overcomes these and many otherproblems of the prior art.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0005] In a first major aspect of the invention, provided is a onlinegaming system and method of its operation, supervision and management.The system has a plurality of game playing computers selectivelyinterconnected over a computer network, with each game playing computeradapted to play a game with one or more other game playing computersover the computer network. A gaming server computer is selectivelyinterconnected over the computer network to one or more of the gameplaying computers for management and supervision of the games played by,between and amongst players operating the game playing computers. Inparticular, the gaming server computer is programmed and adapted togenerate a profile for each of the players associated with the gameplaying computers. The gaming server computer matches at least two ofthe players to play a game with each other (as teammates) or againsteach other (as opponents) based on the profile of each of the players,and it may then supervise part or all of a game being played by theplayers.

[0006] The profile generated by the gaming server computer may includethe gaming proficiency of a player (i.e. his or her expertise in playinga particular game or in executing certain aspects of that game), whichmay be ascertained by the gaming server computer by observing the playerplay the game over the computer network, or by giving the player apredefined test based on skills utilized in playing a game. A player maybe re-tested as required by the gaming server, for example when theplayer reaches a predefined level of play, when the player has playedless than (or more than) a predefined number of games, when the playerhas won (or lost) a predefined number of games, when a predefined amountof time has expired, etc. The player's gaming profile may also be basedon a player's socioeconomic data, such as the player's age, the player'sgender, the player's occupation, the player's leisure interests, theplayers desires, and the player's income level, etc. The socioeconomicdata provided by a player may be verified by the gaming server beforethe player may be matched with other players, the verification beingextrinsic or intrinsic.

[0007] Player matching may be performed by the gaming server computer invarious ways. In a simple case, the gaming server computer matches twoplayers to play a game against each other over the computer network, orit forms teams of players to play a game against each other. A playermay make a request to the gaming server computer to be matched withanother opponent player, with other teammate players, etc. The matchrequests may also be generated by the gaming server computer. Forexample, a player may request to be matched to play against (or with) aplayer from another country, or from the same state, or with the sameapproximate income, or with a higher IQ, etc. Players may also bematched based on historical play between the players or other playersthat each have already played. The system may be sponsored by entitiessuch as companies desiring to place ads on the system, which may be inexchange for providing a prize to a winning player or team. The sponsormay make a request that certain types of players be matched, for exampleto help promote a product or service of the sponsor.

[0008] Once the gaming server determines an appropriate match (ormatches), then it issues an invitation to the matched players, which maybe in the form of an Instant Message (IM) or the like, an email message,an automated voice call, a pop-up screen on the game playing computer,illumination or activation of an invitation icon the screen of the gameplaying computer, a series of tones, etc. If and when a player respondswith an acceptance, then the game is initiated and the gaming servercomputer may supervise play.

[0009] A game may have certain roles, which may be assigned to certainplayers by the gaming server based on their profile (e.g. based on theirproficiency, their socioeconomic profile, physical traits, geographiclocation, etc.).

[0010] The present invention also may provide consideration to playersmeeting certain criteria, which maybe originated by a sponsor or playerdesiring to find certain types of players to play that meet certaincriteria, wherein the consideration would be an incentive for therequested player to play the requesting player. For example, if a playerof a relatively lower proficiency score wishes to play one of a higherproficiency score, he may provide a payment to that player (in the formof cash, game credits, reward points, etc.) as incentive. An auction maybe had by several players of relatively lower proficiency to bid for theright to play one of relatively higher proficiency, for example ifseveral amateurs bid to play against Tiger Woods in an online golftournament.

[0011] A playerboard or lobby may be provided with a list of availableplayers that a requesting player may review and request the gamingserver to issue an invitation. The playerboard may list only logged onor otherwise currently available players, or it may list all players inpredefined categories (e.g. all baseball players with batting averagesover 0.350), etc.

[0012] The system is adapted to allow the gaming server computer tomodify controllable parameters of the game, either prior to the start ofthe game or during play on a real-time basis. Such modifications maycorrespond to predefined criteria such as the proficiency levels of theplayers (e.g. make it harder for good players), or the modifications maybe randomly made. Handicaps may be assigned to relatively better playerthat are matched with relatively weaker players.

[0013] In a second major aspect of the present invention, the onlinegaming system may provide for the awarding and/or redemption of rewardpoints (akin to loyalty or frequent flyer points) which may becombinable with existing reward accounts held by the player. Forexample, a player may be awarded 1000 American Airlines points if hewins a certain game. The number of points awarded to a player may becorrelated to the proficiency of the player (such that players having arelatively high proficiency are awarded with a relatively lower numberof reward points, or vice versa), or it may be correlated to thecomplexity of the game being played. Points may be subtracted forvarious events (e.g. losing a game, purchasing a premium game, payinganother player to play a game, failing to meet predefined game playcriteria, purchasing longer game play time, etc.). Likewise, points maybe added for various events (e.g. winning a game, receiving pay fromanother player to play a game, etc.)

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

[0014]FIG. 1 is a block diagram of the system of the present invention;

[0015]FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the gaming server computer;

[0016]FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the player profile database;

[0017]FIG. 4 is an illustration of a player proficiency record;

[0018]FIG. 5 is an flowchart of the general operation of the invention;and

[0019]FIG. 6 is an illustration of screenshots used in the presentinvention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

[0020] The system of the preferred embodiment is depicted in blockdiagram format in FIG. 1. Shown is a computer network 14, which in thepreferred embodiment is a wide area network (WAN) such as the Internet,but which may of course refer to any infrastructure that provides forthe wired or wireless communication of various computing devices, whichin this invention are referred to generally as game playing computers 2and a gaming server computer 4. The game playing computer 2 may be anytype of dedicated or general purpose computing device that is capable ofallowing a user or player to interface and interoperate with gamingsoftware executing locally (i.e. on the game playing computer 2) orremotely (i.e. on another computing device interconnected over thenetwork 14). Typical examples of the game playing computer are thegeneral purpose personal computer 2 a, a laptop computer 2 c, and agaming console 2 b, which may of the type known as the MICROSOFT XBOX,the SONY PLAYSTATION OR PS2, and/or the NINTENDO 64, GAMECUBE, orGAMEBOY/GAMEBOY ADVANCE, all of which are well known in the art. Atelevision set configured with an appropriate set top box may be used asan interactive TV 2 f. In addition, wireless devices such as a personaldigital assistant (PDA) 2 d and a cellular telephone 2 e may communicatevia an antenna 10 with a wireless or cellular network 12, which in turncommunicates with the network 14 for seamless communications with othergame playing computers and/or the gaming server computer 4. These gamingdevices 2 a, 2 b, 2 c, 2 d, 2 e and 2 f are referred to generally asgame playing computers 2 for the sake of clarity throughout thisdescription.

[0021] The gaming server computer 4 provides many functions and servicesto the game playing computers 2, which together form a gaming community.The gaming services to be described herein are shown as executing on asingle platform, but of course may be distributed across multipleplatforms as may be desired or required (e.g. for appropriatescalability, etc.). Distribution of services as described herein arewell known in the art and need not be described in further detail.

[0022] Thus, in general terms, the game playing computers allcommunicate in selective fashion with the gaming server computer overthe computer network 14 in order to accomplish the objectives describedherein. The present invention contemplates operation between as few astwo game playing computers over the network to thousands of game playingcomputers or more. The game playing computers communicate with eachother and/or the gaming server computer selectively; meaning that aparticular player may choose to have his or her game playing computeronline as desired, or he may disconnect from the gaming network asdesired.

[0023] The present invention operates with respect to games played bythe game playing computers over the network, wherein games refer to anytype of rule-based activity or contest between or amongst two or moreplayers (wherein one player may be emulated by the gaming servercomputer), with goals and objectives attainable for the players. Gamesinclude but are not limited to knowledge based games (e.g. triviagames), creative games, individual or team sports games (baseball,football, soccer, hockey, golf, tennis, etc.), games of chance (poker,blackjack, bridge, etc.), role playing games, fantasy games, historicalgames, war games, problem-solving games, puzzle-solving games, contests,rehabilitation games, etc. Games may also include simulation events,such as the popular Flight Simulator program and the like.

[0024] The gaming server 4 will now be described in detail. The gamingserver in the present invention provides many functions and services tothe game playing computers, such as player profile generation, playerskill measurements, player matching for game play, awarding of prizes inthe form of reward points and management of a reward points account foreach player, and game supervision and analysis.

[0025] With reference to the block diagram of FIG. 2 and the flowchartof FIG. 5, the main logical components of the gaming server computer area processor means 22, which performs all required processing and logicfunctions and controls operation of the gaming server, and a networkinterface 28, which controls all physical and logical interfacefunctions between the gaming server and the computer network. Theprocessor operates in conjunction with a player profile database 18,which stores all profile data for the players that belong to the gamingsystem (the gaming community); a game database 23, which stores gamingparameters, functions and the like; and a sponsor database 25, whichstores information about the various sponsors and advertisers thatsubscribe to the system (described in detail below). The processor 22also works in conjunction with proficiency testing algorithms 26, gameparameter modification algorithms 30, reward points algorithms 32,player matching algorithms 34, profile verification algorithms 36, andplayer match requests 38, all of which are described in detail below.The gaming server computer has additional components, well known in theart of computing, that are not shown here for the sake of clarity.

Player Profile

[0026] Each player or subscriber that is otherwise associated with thegaming system of the present invention is provided with a player profilethat is generated, maintained, modified and stored by the gaming server.Each player's profile is stored in the player profile database 18, whichholds a plurality of player records 16 as shown in FIG. 3. Each playerrecord 16 includes player proficiency data 16 a, socioeconomic data 16b, physical data 16 c, game playing history 16 d, player availability 16e, and a reward points account 16 f. Although the data topologyillustrated in FIG. 3 shows a single player record 16 associated witheach player in a database, the database configuration may be constructedin any manner known in the art (e.g. use of several databases on one ormore distributed computers, etc.).

[0027] Proficiency data 16 a is generated and stored for each player inhis profile record 16, and may be revised periodically by the gamingserver on the occurrence of certain conditions. A sample proficiencyrecord for Player A is shown in FIG. 4. The gaming server ascertains theproficiency or skill level of a player with respect to a particulargame, with respect to a particular role within a game, and/or withrespect to gaming skills that may applied generally to several types ofgames. For example, the gaming server may determine that a player'sskill level in playing a simple game such as PAC-MAN is in the novicecategory, yet it may determine his skill level as a pilot in a spacebattle game (e.g. STAR WARS) to be intermediate, which may be differentfrom his skill level as a gunner (master) in the same game. Themethodology used to determine a score and assign a descriptive rank asshown in the FIG. 4 may vary in accordance with objectives of the systemdesigner (one example is speed of play, in particular in games thatdon't intrinsically limit the time to make certain moves (e.g. bridge)).

[0028] The gaming server 4 utilizes one or more of various methods todetermine and manage the player proficiency scores in this invention. Aplayer's proficiency, which will be used to perform player matching asdescribed herein, may be measured in several ways. The gaming server maytake a passive approach and simply monitor or supervise a game played bya player against another player over the network, and record scores invarious categories, results if the game, time required to finish thegame, etc., in arriving at a skill or proficiency level for that playeras described above. If the opponent of the player has proficiency scoresstored in the gaming server, those scores may be used to adjust upwardsor downwards. For example, when a new player opposes a master-ratedopponent, his skill scores should be adjusted upwards to account for thehigh skill level he has faced, and vice versa.

[0029] In the alternative to monitoring actual game play between a newplayer and an opponent to determine the new player's proficiency, thegaming server may execute proficiency testing algorithms 26 as shown inFIG. 2 to ascertain his skill level. This manner of determining theskill level provides a more uniform baseline for objectively measuringskill level than does observing actual game play, since more variablesare introduced in game play than in a controlled testing paradigm. Forexample, a player might be given a series of controlled maneuvers toexecute in ascertaining a pilot's skill level, with the results analyzedand stored in the proficiency record 16 a. Since everyone will be giventhe same series of maneuvers to complete, the resulting score will be anaccurate reflection of that player's skill level with respect toeveryone who takes that test. In another example, a player's proficiencywith respect to a card game would be determined by dealing him the samehand as all others who have taken the test, and having the gaming servercomputer analyze his moves, play against him, etc. A player may be givena series of related tests to determine an overall gaming score, as wellas the specialized skill tests described herein. The results of theproficiency tests are stored in the proficiency data record 16 a forlater player matching as described below.

[0030] The player may be re-evaluated at certain times after his initialproficiency scores are logged. For example, the player may need to bere-tested after he has reached a certain level of play (e.g. masterstatus), or he may be re-tested after he has played more than a certainnumber of games (or if he played less than a certain number of gamesover a time period), or if he has won (or lost) a certain number ofgames, or when a predefined time has expired, etc. The player'sproficiency scores may also be revised based on the results of games hehas played over time. For example, once a novice player reaches certainlevels in a game, he may be upgraded to intermediate status. Inaddition, if a player has failed to play a certain game over apredefined time period, he may be required to be re-tested prior toplay, or he may be automatically downgraded.

[0031] In addition to game proficiency data, a player profile may alsostore socioeconomic data 16 b and physical data 16 c, as shown in FIG.3. Socioeconomic data may include the player's age, the player's gender,the player's occupation, the player's leisure interests, the player'sdesires (e.g. he may want to be an airline pilot), and the player'sincome level, etc. Physical data may include the player's height,weight, and/or an image of the person. Real-time video and/or voice datamay be included as well, e.g. by using a web cam or microphone orsimilar device to obtain video footage and/or voice samples of theplayer for later matching and/or verification purposes. This data may beused by the matching process to determine certain types of playermatching as described below.

[0032] In addition to the “static” physical data listed above, aplayer's physical profile may include biofeedback data, which is morelikely to vary over time. For example, a gaming system may be configuredwith biofeedback sensors such as a body thermometer or a heart ratemonitor. Data taken from these sensors during game play may be stored inthe player's profile and used for matching purposes as explained below.Biofeedback data may also be obtained separately from game play. Forexample, a player may wear a heart rate monitor throughout the day andthen plug it into his gaming computer (or use a wireless connection) tofeed it the acquired data, which is then uploaded to the gaming serverfor storage therein. The players may also be provided with wearableitems having embedded sensors such as a virtual headgear or a full bodysuit, wherein motion made by various parts of the body is detected,recorded, and uploaded to the gaming server computer.

[0033] The socioeconomic data provided by a player may be verified bythe profile verification function 36 of the gaming server before theplayer may be matched with other players, the verification beingextrinsic or intrinsic. For example, if a player indicates that in aprofile input form that he is a 14 year old boy but in fact is an adult,verification methods would be implemented to determine that this personis attempting to provide a fraudulent profile. Extrinsic verificationrelies on methodologies outside of the gaming system, while intrinsicverification relies on methodologies within the gaming system. Forexample, the gaming system may check with pre-existing databases(utilizing address information, social security number, telephoneinformation, email address, IP address of the gaming computer, etc.) anddetermine that the above-mentioned adult player has lied about his age.Verification is critical in providing appropriate screening functionsand provide a certain level of protection to the online gaming communitythat utilizes the system. An intrinsic verification methodology may alsobe used, such as using artificial intelligence (AI) or fuzzy logicanalysis to determine if a player's game play habits and scores arelikely from the type of person the player indicates in his profile. Forexample, if a player says that she is a ten year old girl but her playhabits indicate that statistically the player is more likely a 45 yearold man, then this verification will raise a flag to the gaming server.Also, the use of a PIN (personal identification number) or the like,obtainable by purchase at a retail or other physical outlet, may be usedfor verification. In addition to providing a mechanism for obtainingcompensation for allowing a player to play in the system (i.e. one needsa valid PIN to play an online game), a sales clerk may obtain physicaldata about the person purchasing the PIN and report that to the gamingserver. For example, if a 45 year old man purchases a PIN, that PIN willbe sent back to the gaming server with data indicating he is a 45 yearold man. If someone logs into the system with that PIN but indicates adifferent age and/or gender to the system in entering the profile data,then a verification flag will be raised by the gaming server.

[0034] In addition to player profiles, team profiles may be used. Thus,a team formed for play of a war game may have a collective profilehaving collective proficiency scores, etc. The team profile may be usedfor matching purposes as described herein in the same manner as playerprofiles.

Player Matching

[0035] The player matching methodologies implemented by the presentinvention are discussed with respect to FIG. 2. A processor 22implements one or more player matching algorithms 34 which may, forexample, be based on a player request to be matched with another player(either a teammate or an opponent). The processor operates with theplayer matching algorithms 34 to determine appropriate players to matchbased on player profiles 16 stored in the database 18 as describedabove.

[0036] In a simple case, a player issues a request 38 to the gamingserver via his game playing computer to be matched with an opponent inorder to play a certain game. For example, Player 1 might want to playthe game HALO and request the gaming server to determine an appropriateopponent to play against Player A. After Player A issues a request tothe gaming server, the gaming server utilizes one or more playermatching algorithms to determine an appropriate list of players thatwould be suitable to play against Player A. That list of matchedopponents is then sent to Player A for display on his monitor, andPlayer A may then select a desired opponent. For example, if Player A isgiven 10 names to choose, he may find one who he is familiar with andselect that player. Player profile characteristics may be displayed withthe player name (or alias for privacy reasons); for example, theplayer's home state or age bracket, his scoring history in the selectedor another game (his HALO record), etc. This data may help the player indetermining a desired opponent. This will be described in further detailhereunder.

[0037] Once a player has selected a desired opponent (or teammate,depending on the request), then that selection is indicated back to thegaming server. The gaming server uses the selected alias to determine,from that selected player's profile, the preferred means to contact thatplayer in order to issue an invitation. For example, if Player A selectsPlayer B, then the gaming server looks up in Player B's profile anddetermines that he should be sent an Instant Message (IM) when he hasbeen matched with someone. The gaming server then sends an IM to PlayerB, indicating that Player A has requested to play him in game of HALO.Player B can then accept or decline the invitation. If Player A does notrespond in a timeout period (e.g. 10 minutes), then an alternate mode ofcommunication is attempted (e.g. an email, a voice call, etc.). IfPlayer B declines, then Player A is given another chance to select analternate opponent, and the invitation/response cycle continues until aplayer accepts the invitation and play is begun. If Player B accepts,then play begins between Player A and Player B.

[0038] Players may be matched by the gaming server for playing a gameagainst each other based on their proficiency level. Thus, when Player Arequests an opponent of the same skill level, the gaming server finds anopponent with a proficiency score in that game within a certain range.For example, if Player A is an intermediate player, he will be given alist of intermediate players to select from. If numeric scores arestored rather than descriptive terms, then a range may be givencorresponding to that of the requesting player. Optionally, he may onlybe given a list of intermediate players that are currently available(logged into the system), so that he only will select someone who isavailable for play. The gaming server may also be configured to filterout players who indicate that they currently do not want to play HALO sothey are not bothered with HALO game playing requests at a given time.

[0039] A player may be automatically matched with another player bysimply indicating he is available for play and agrees to play wheneverthe gaming server matches him with another player. A penalty, such aslosing reward points (described below), may be imposed on a player whosubsequently declines to play in this scenario.

[0040] A player may request to “play up”, i.e. play an opponent with ahigher proficiency rating than that player. For example, Player A may bea novice but only want to play against an intermediate player. Sincemost intermediate players may not want to play against a novice (“playdown”), the gaming server and/or the requesting player may need toprovide some sort of incentive to coerce the intermediate player to playthe requesting novice. In the embodiment of the present invention thatincludes a reward point feature, to be described in further detailbelow, such incentive could be the transfer of reward points from therequesting player's account to the intermediate player in order to gethim to agree to play the requesting novice player. Other types ofincentives including cash payments (which may be made in the form ofmicropayments utilizing various Internet micropayment technologies),credit card payments, etc. may also be used.

[0041] In an alternative embodiment, several players may compete for theright to play a better player in an auction-like setting. For example,if 10 players want to play against a certain player known to beproficient in HALO, the gaming server may set up a limited time auctionprocess so that the highest bidder obtains the services of the betterplayer in exchange for the auction price. In this event, the gamingserver may initiate the auction at the request of one or more requestingplayers, or at the request of a player asking for his services to beauctioned off to a player with a lower proficiency rating. At thecompletion of the auction, the winning bidder transfers the agreed-toconsideration to the opponent and play may then begin. The playerauction process is particularly appealing in a celebrity setting. Forexample, an auction may be held for the right to play against Tony Hawkin a skateboarding game, or Tiger Woods in a golf tournament, etc.

[0042] One great advantage in a networked gaming environment is theability to form teams of players in disparate locations for team play.In a simple, case, two players may be matched by the system as teammatesagainst two opposing players in a game of hockey. Players A and B, onteam 1, would play against players C and D, on team 2. Player A could beassigned the goalie position, Player B the skaters' positions, andlikewise for team 2. All four players could then play the game amongsteach other over the computer network. In a more complex scenario, tensor even hundreds of players could be formed into two or more teams forcomplex game play scenarios. For example, a World War game could beplayed, with a United States team, a Canadian team, and an Australianteam. Each team could be comprised of various roles, for example, thecountry's President, Secretary of Defense, military generals, admirals,pilots, infantrymen, etc. Each role would be filled by a player havingpredefined profile characteristics as explained herein. Thus, the roleof a general may require a high proficiency in the game, or certainsocioeconomic characteristics such as a college education, while therole of an army cook may only require high school education. The role ofa pilot may require piloting proficiency (ascertained by a flightsimulation test), while that of the president may require proficiency inworld diplomacy. In a further example, the game may limit members of theUnited States team to those located in the United States, so as not toallow a “spy” from Australia to infiltrate the U.S. team.

[0043] Teams may also be matched with each other based on theirrespective team profile, which is a collective profile similar to asingle player profile as described above.

[0044] Other player matching scenarios are embodied in the presentinvention, such as matching via physical characteristics and/orbiofeedback data stored in the player profile. A player may request onlyfemale opponents, or within a certain age group, etc. The gaming serveris provided with screening control functions if desired by a player. Forexample, a young female may indicate that she does not wish to be madeavailable to a male player in the 35-45 age group, etc. These types ofscreening and parental control functions will be important in thisgaming community which opens itself to virtually anyone who wishes toenter. In addition, photographs or other images may be stored in theplayer profile, such that a player, if desired, may request matchesbased on the image of the prospective opponent.

[0045] Game playing history data is stored in the player profile asshown at block 16 d. Players may be matched with one another on thebasis of their historical play. For example, the gaming server computermay determine that Player A has played against Player B ten times in thepast, and that each has won on 5 occasions, with each game ending in arelatively close score. This indicates that Players A and B arerelatively close in skills in that game, perhaps notwithstanding adifference in stored proficiency scores, and the gaming server would usethis intelligence in making subsequent matches (e.g. Player B could besubstituted for Player A if he is not available to play with anotherplayer in that game). Likewise, even if Players A and B have similarproficiency scores in a game, but Player A has always beaten Player B,then the gaming server computer uses this historical play information insubsequent match scenarios.

[0046] Players may be matched with each other, as teammates and/oropponents, based on data in the players' socioeconomic profile record.Socioeconomic data may include, but is not limited to, a player's age, aplayer's gender, a player's occupation, a player's leisure interests, aplayer's desires, and a player's income level, and the player'sideology. Thus, for example, a player may request to be matched withonly Republicans or with only college graduates, or with only males,etc.

[0047] Player matching may be completely and/or automatically controlledby the gaming server computer, or it may be partially controlled by therequesting player via player matching requests 38. When completelycontrolled by the gaming server computer, a player requests to bematched with another player to play a game, and the gaming servercomputer determines the optimal match based on pre-programmed parametersand priorities, including those mentioned herein. For example, thegaming server may be programmed to find the potential opponent with theclosest proficiency level in the requested game, who has been a memberof the gaming community for the closest period of time, and who has theclosest similar socioeconomic profile. That optimal person would beinvited to play, and if he accepts, play would begin. If he rejects theinvitation (a timeout with no response being considered a rejection),then the next closest match would be invited, and so on. In this manner,the requesting player has no control over who he may play. In anothermode, the requesting player may be given certain options, for example hemay pick the criteria with the highest priority (close proficiencyscores, close income, etc.), and then the gaming server performs theautomatic selection/invitation process. The player may also be giveneven more control by providing a list of possible candidates after thematching process has been executed, and the requesting player selects aplayer from the list to invite to play by the gaming server aspreviously described.

[0048] Although an invited player may decline to play the requestingplayer (“elective play”), in an alternative mode, the invited playermust accept the invitation to play when issued by the gaming server(“required play”). In this case, players are provided with incentives(e.g. in the form of reward points) for making themselves available atcertain times and days, but must play when the gaming server and/or therequesting player determines the match. This provides a system whereplayers are always available and promotes use of the system in general.

[0049] Players may also be selected on a “first come first served”basis, where the first available player meeting certain match criteriais selected by the gaming server to play.

[0050] A leaderboard or “top ten” type of list maybe provided to showwho the best players are, their points totals, etc. This can also showwho is currently playing which games against whom.

Game Play

[0051] Many types of games may be played under the present invention,ranging from simple one-one-one games to complex team play involvingplayers around the world. Games include games of chance, games of skill,fantasy role playing games, historical games, knowledge-based games,futuristic games, war games, psychological games, and sports games.Leagues of teams may be formed, which may stay the same after the playermatching process is executed. Tournament play may take place with thisinvention, with players entering and exiting the tournament at varyingtimes. In this context, a tournament may be made to be never-ending, inthat there are no absolute winners, and players may take awayconsideration for their successful play. This is particularly usefulwith respect to the reward points aspect of the invention, to bedescribed later.

[0052] The gaming server utilizes game parameter modification algorithms30 to modify parameters of a game being played, either in real-time orbefore the game is played. Real-time modification allows the gamingserver to supervise (monitor) a game being played and modify itsoperation based on the status of the game, its players, etc. Forexample, assume that Player A is playing against Player B in a hockeygame. Player B may be playing exceptionally strong against Player A atthat time, perhaps by having numerous breakaways on Player A's goalie,which all result in goals. The gaming server may observe this andincrease the ability of Player A's goalie so that Player B faces moredifficulty in scoring on Player A under those circumstances. Thismodification may occur on a one-time basis (that game only), or it mayoccur every time Player A and Player B face each other in a hockey game,or it may occur every time Player A plays anyone in a hockey game, etc.By monitoring the real-time events in a game, the gaming server is ableto control certain parameters and change the play of the gameaccordingly.

[0053] The extent of the game parameter modifications may correspond tothe proficiency level of the players. Thus, novice players withrelatively lower scores may be provided with more modifications to helpthem get through a game without an inordinate amount of frustration attheir relative inability to play the game. Even though prior art gamesprovide for various levels in a game, where the player may indicate hislevel of skill and obtain game play with appropriate levels ofdifficulty, the present invention provides for a more controllableenvironment since it monitors game play while it occurs and makes gameadjustments in real-time without requiring the players to start over.Moreover, the level of intelligence that the gaming server introducesinto the parameter modifications is clearly superior to prior artmethodologies. In an alternative embodiment, rather than selectivemodifications as described herein, the gaming server may introducerandom modifications into a game. For example, in a game played byhighly skilled players, randomly changing certain game parameters mayserve to increase the difficulty of the game in an unpredictable manner,thus increasing the enjoyment of the game for these skilled contestants.

[0054] In certain cases, the gaming server might select players to playeach other wherein one player has a relatively higher proficiency level,and then assign a handicap to that player to level the playing field.The handicap could be similar to a golf handicap, in that points areadded to the better players score (or subtracted, as the case may be).The gaming handicap could also serve to increase the difficulty of playfor only the better player, rather than modify the final score as ingolf. The use of a relatively better player may take place randomly, orit may be on request of a lower skilled player, or it maybe on requestof the higher skilled player, or it may be on request of a team seekingto complete its roster with a better player, etc.

[0055] A game is envisioned where remotely located players can play eachother using the same physical data as a basis for play. For example, ina space-based game, two or more players may have access to a telescopeand view certain celestial formations, and the game would be based ontheir response to these formations (so-called “stargazing games”).

[0056] Players can play to win reward points as described below. Inaddition (or in the alternative), players can be compensated forsuperior play with awards of titles (similar to Chess Grand Master) andthe like. It is also a feature of this invention for players to competefor certain jobs that may be available from employers. For example, acompany may declare that it will award certain jobs to the best playerof a certain game or contest.

Reward Points

[0057] The online gaming system may provide for the awarding and/orredemption of reward points (akin to loyalty or frequent flyer points)which may be combinable with existing reward accounts held by theplayer. By utilizing reward points algorithms 32 as described herein,reward points may be stored locally in a record associated with eachplayer (i.e. in conjunction with the player's profile). As shown in FIG.1, the gaming server is in selective communication with the rewardpoints computers 7 operated by other entities with whom a player has aseparate points account, such as an airlines points account, a carrental points account, etc. Periodically, the gaming server communicateswith the external reward points computer 7 to modify the points total inthe player's account. Reconciliation with the external rewards pointscomputer may take place periodically as desired by the parties. Forexample, Player A has an existing frequent flyer account with AmericanAirlines, with 10,000 points in the account. By virtue of winningseveral games in the gaming system of the present invention, he isawarded with 2,000 points into his reward points account 16 f on thegaming server. Player A elects to have his points transferred to hisAmerican Airlines (AA) account and issues a request to do so to thegaming server. The gaming server initiates a transaction with the AApoints computer, in which (1) Player A's AA account is incremented to12,000 points, and (2) consideration is transferred from the gamingserver to the AA points computer (or some associated account of AA), tocompensate AA for taking on the increased liability with respect toPlayer A. Player A can now utilize his increased number of AA points asallowed by AA (i.e. to obtain a free flight, upgrade, etc.).

[0058] The reverse process may also take place, in which Player A mayincrease his gaming reward point account 16 f with the gaming server andcorrespondingly decrease his points total in his AA account. In thisevent, consideration flows from AA to the gaming server to compensatethe gaming server for the exchange of points.

[0059] Gaming reward points may be earned in many ways as indicated inthe reward points algorithm 34, such as by winning games and/ortournaments, by reaching certain levels of play in a game, by being“paid” in points for playing against lesser opponents (described above),for executing certain games and/or levels in games in a relatively fasttime, etc. Gaming reward points may be utilized by the player (i.e. hisaccount total decreased) in many ways as well, such as by paying to playa game, or allowing access to a premium game, or paying to “play up”against a superior player, increasing play time, failing to meet certainlevels of play during a game, receiving assistance during a game fromthe gaming server, losing the game. etc.

[0060] The number of reward points awarded to a player for winning agame may be correlated to his skill level. Thus, better players mayreceive less points than less skilled players for winning a particulargame, or vice versa. The number of points awarded may also be correlatedto the complexity of a game played, so as to reward players for playingharder games.

[0061] A database 25 of sponsors is maintained on the gaming servercomputer. The gaming system may utilize these sponsors to provide prizesto players of the system. Sponsors are given advertisement opportunitiesin the system in exchange for providing prizes. The prizes, in turn, maybe obtained by the player in exchange for points earned as previouslydescribed. Thus, for example, NIKE may elect to become a system sponsorand provide Tiger Woods golf shirts to the system in exchange for adsprovided to game players.

[0062] In the alternative to holding reward points in a local accountfor each player, the gaming server may opt to transfer pointsimmediately to a pre-designated external computer.

I claim:
 1. A method of operating a networked gaming system comprisingthe steps of: generating a profile for each of a plurality of playersassociated with a game playing computer interconnected over a computernetwork with a gaming server computer; the gaming server computermatching at least two of said players to play a game based on theprofile of each of said players; and each of the matched players usingtheir associated game playing computers to play a game with each otherover the computer network.
 2. The method of claim 1 further comprisingthe step of the gaming server computer supervising at least part of thegame being played.
 3. The method of claim 1 wherein the step ofgenerating a profile for each of a plurality of players comprises thestep of ascertaining the proficiency of a player and including theascertained proficiency in the profile of the player.
 4. The method ofclaim 3 wherein the step of ascertaining the proficiency of a playercomprises the step of ascertaining the proficiency of a player withrespect to a game played on the game playing computer.
 5. The method ofclaim 3 wherein the step of ascertaining the proficiency of a playercomprises the step of the gaming server providing a proficiency test tothe player on the game playing computer.
 6. The method of claim 5further comprising the step of the gaming server providing an additionalproficiency test to the player on the game playing computer on theoccurrence of a re-test condition.
 7. The method of claim 6 wherein there-test condition is met when the player reaches a predefined level ofplay.
 8. The method of claim 6 wherein the re-test condition is met whenthe player has played at least a predefined number of games.
 9. Themethod of claim 6 wherein the re-test condition is met when the playerhas played less than a predefined number of games.
 10. The method ofclaim 6 wherein the re-test condition is met when the player has won apredefined number of games.
 11. The method of claim 6 wherein there-test condition is met when a predefined amount of time has expired.12. The method of claim 6 wherein the gaming server awards at least oneof the players with reward points based on the outcome of the gameplayed, said reward points stored into a reward point account associatedwith the player, and wherein the re-test condition is met when thenumber of reward points awarded to a player exceeds a predeterminedthreshold.
 13. The method of claim 6 wherein the gaming server awards atleast one of the players with reward points based on the outcome of thegame played, said reward points stored into a reward point accountassociated with the player, and wherein the re-test condition is metwhen the number of reward points awarded to a player is less than apredetermined threshold.
 14. The method of claim 1 wherein the gamingserver awards at least one of the players with reward points based onthe outcome of the game played, said reward points stored into a rewardpoint account associated with the player, and wherein players arematched based on the number of points in their respective accounts. 15.The method of claim 3 wherein the step of ascertaining the proficiency aplayer comprises the step of the gaming server measuring a proficiencyscore of the player with respect to a game played on the game playingcomputer.
 16. The method of claim 15 further comprising the step ofrevising the proficiency score of a player based on the results of gamesplayed by the player.
 17. The method of claim 15 wherein the step of thegaming server measuring a proficiency score of the player comprises thesteps of: the gaming server computer administering a game skillproficiency test to the player; the player executing the game skillproficiency test administered by the gaming server computer; the gamingserver computer generating a proficiency score for the playerrepresenting the player's proficiency in the test, based on the successof the player executing the test; and the gaming server computer storingthe player's proficiency score in memory.
 18. The method of claim 15wherein the step of the gaming server measuring a proficiency score ofthe player comprises the steps of: the gaming server monitoring a gameplayed by the player, the gaming server computer generating aproficiency score for the player representing the player's proficiencyin the game, based on the success of the player playing the game; andthe gaming server computer storing the player's proficiency score inmemory.
 19. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of generating aprofile for each of a plurality of players comprises the step of aplayer inputting socioeconomic profile data to the gaming server overthe computer network.
 20. The method of claim 19 wherein saidsocioeconomic profile data is selected from the group consisting of theplayer's age, the player's gender, the player's occupation, the player'sleisure interests, the player's desires, and the player's income level.21. The method of claim 19 wherein the socioeconomic profile data inputby the player into the gaming server is verified by the gaming serverbefore the player maybe matched with other players.
 22. The method ofclaim 21 wherein the gaming server verifies the socioeconomic profiledata by an extrinsic method.
 23. The method of claim 21 wherein thegaming server verifies the socioeconomic profile data by an intrinsicmethod.
 24. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of the gaming servercomputer matching at least two of said players to play a game comprisesthe gaming server matching two players to play a game against each otherover the computer network.
 25. The method of claim 1 wherein the gamingserver computer matches at least two of said players to play a game inaccordance with match requests made by players.
 26. The method of claim1 wherein the step of the gaming server computer matching at least twoof said players to play a game comprises the gaming server forming atleast two teams of players, each team comprising at least two players,to play a game against each other over the computer network.
 27. Themethod of claim 26 wherein the teams are formed in accordance with teammatch requests made by players.
 28. The method of claim 1 wherein thegaming server computer matches at least two of said players to play agame in accordance with challenge requests made by players.
 29. Themethod of claim 1 wherein the gaming server computer requests certainplayers to play based on predefined criteria.
 30. The method of claim 1wherein a system sponsor issues a request for players having predefinedcharacteristics.
 31. The method of claim 26 wherein the game played overthe computer network requires a plurality of different roles to beplayed, wherein each role is assigned to a player by the gaming server.32. The method of claim 31 wherein the roles each have associatedproficiency requirements, and wherein a player is assigned a role in agame based on the proficiency requirements of the role matchingproficiency measurements contained in the profile of the player.
 33. Themethod of claim 31 wherein a player is assigned a role in a game basedon socioeconomic data in the profile of the player.
 34. The method ofclaim 33 wherein said socioeconomic data is selected from the groupconsisting of the player's age, the player's gender, the player'soccupation, the player's leisure interests, the player's income level,and the player's ideology.
 35. The method of claim 31 wherein a playeris assigned a role in a game based on the geographic location of theplayer.
 36. The method of claim 1 wherein the gaming server computermatches at least two of said players to play a game in accordance with aphysical profile of the players.
 37. The method of claim 36 wherein thephysical profile comprises a physical description of the player and aphotograph of the player.
 38. The method of claim 36 wherein thephysical profile comprises video images of the player.
 39. The method ofclaim 36 wherein the physical profile comprises voice recordings of theplayer.
 40. The method of claim 36 wherein the physical profilecomprises biofeedback data of the player.
 41. The method of claim 36wherein the gaming server provides a screening function to matchrequests made by players based on a physical profile of the player. 42.The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of generating aprofile for a team comprised of a plurality of players, and wherein thegaming server matches at least two teams to play a game based on theprofile of each team.
 43. The method of claim 3 wherein the step ofmatching at least two of said players to play a game comprises the stepsof a first player having a first player proficiency score requesting tobe matched with another player to play a game; and the gaming servercomputer determining a second player having a proficiency score within apredefined range of the first player.
 44. The method of claim 1 furthercomprising the step of the gaming server computer issuing an invitationto a matched player to play a game.
 45. The method of claim 44 furthercomprising the steps of the second player accepting the invitation toplay a game with the first player; and the first player and the secondplayer playing a game.
 46. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of thegaming server computer matching at least two of said players to play agame based on the profile of each of said players further comprises thegaming server matching players on the basis of historical play betweenplayers.
 47. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of the gaming servercomputer matching at least two of said players to play a game based onthe profile of each of said players further comprises the steps of: aplayer providing match criteria to the gaming server computer, and thegaming server computer utilizing the match criteria provided by theplayer to match said player with another player for game play.
 48. Themethod of claim 47 wherein the match criteria comprises socioeconomiccriteria.
 49. The method of claim 48 wherein the socioeconomic criteriais selected from the group consisting of a player's age, a player'sgender, a player's occupation, a player's leisure interests, and aplayer's income level, and the player's ideology.
 50. The method ofclaim 3 wherein the step of the gaming server computer matching at leasttwo of said players to play a game based on the profile of each of saidplayers further comprises the steps of: a first player requesting to bematched with a second player having a relatively higher proficiency, andthe gaming server requesting a second player having a relatively higherproficiency to play the first player.
 51. The method of claim 50comprising the further step of the gaming server offering the secondplayer consideration in exchange for playing a game against the firstplayer.
 52. The method of claim 3 wherein the step of the gaming servercomputer matching at least two of said players to play a game based onthe profile of each of said players further comprises matching a firstplayer having a relatively higher proficiency with a player having arelatively lower proficiency by: the gaming server determining aplurality of players having a relatively lower proficiency than thefirst player, and the gaming server conducting an auction to determinewhich of the plurality of players having a relatively lower proficiencythan the first player will be matched to play the first player.
 53. Themethod of claim 1 wherein the step of the gaming server computermatching at least two of said players to play a game based on theprofile of each of said players is performed automatically by the gamingserver.
 54. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of the gaming servercomputer matching at least two of said players to play a game based onthe profile of each of said players is performed randomly by the gamingserver.
 55. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of the gaming servercomputer matching at least two of said players to play a game based onthe profile of each of said players comprises the steps of: a firstplayer requesting to be matched with a second player to play a game, thegaming server determining a plurality of players having a profile thatmatches the first player, the gaming server providing to the firstplayer a list of the plurality of players having a profile that matchesthe first player, and the first player selecting one of the players fromthe list to play a game.
 56. The method of claim 1 wherein the step ofthe gaming server computer matching at least two of said players to playa game based on the profile of each of said players comprises the stepsof: a first player requesting to be matched with a second player to playa game, the gaming server determining a plurality of players having aprofile that matches the first player and that are available for playingthe game at the time of the first player's request, the gaming serverproviding to the first player a list of the plurality of players havinga profile that matches the first player and that are available forplaying the game at the time of the first player's request, and thefirst player selecting one of the players from the list to play a game.57. The method of claim 1 wherein a player selects a player to play froma list of available players provided by the gaming server.
 58. Themethod of claim 1 wherein the players are matched in the playing of atournament, wherein a player may enter the tournament at any time, andfurther wherein the tournament continues without defined terminationcriteria.
 59. The method of claim 1 wherein the game played is selectedfrom the group consisting of a game of chance, a game of skill, afantasy role playing game, an historical game, a knowledge-based game, afuturistic game, a war game, a psychological game, and a sports game.60. The method of claim 1 wherein the gaming server modifiescontrollable parameters of the game while it is being played by theplayers.
 61. The method of claim 60 wherein the modifications made bythe gaming server correspond to the proficiency level of the players.62. The method of claim 60 wherein the modifications made by the gamingserver are random.
 63. The method of claim 60 wherein the modificationsmade by the gaming server are selective.
 64. The method of claim 60wherein the modifications made by the gaming server are defined bypredetermined criteria.
 65. The method of claim 3 wherein the gamingserver selects players of different proficiencies to play with eachother, and wherein a handicap is assigned to a player having arelatively higher proficiency than a player having a relatively lowerproficiency.
 66. The method of claim 3 wherein a player having arelatively higher proficiency is placed on a team by request of otherplayers.
 67. The method of claim 66 wherein the player having arelatively higher proficiency is assigned a handicap by the gamingserver.
 68. The method of claim 3 further comprising the step of atleast one of the players being awarded with reward points based on theoutcome of the game played, said reward points stored into a rewardpoint account associated with the player.
 69. The method of claim 68wherein the number of reward points awarded to a player is correlated tothe proficiency of the player.
 70. The method of claim 69 whereinplayers having a relatively high proficiency are awarded with arelatively lower number of reward points.
 71. The method of claim 69wherein players having a relatively high proficiency are awarded with arelatively higher number of reward points.
 72. The method of claim 68wherein the number of reward points awarded to a player is correlated tothe complexity of the game played.
 73. The method of claim 68 whereinthe player's reward point account is stored on a reward server computerassociated with an entity that provides other reward points fortransactions directly between the player and the entity.
 74. The methodof claim 73 wherein the reward points awarded to the player aretransferred into the player's reward point account immediately afterbeing awarded to the player by the gaming server.
 75. The method ofclaim 73 wherein the reward points awarded to the player are held in atemporary player account associated with the gaming server, and whereinpoints are subsequently transferred to the player's reward point accounton the occurrence of a predefined condition.
 76. The method of claim 79comprising the further steps of awarding additional reward points to theplayer based on additional game play, and accumulating said additionalreward points into the temporary player account prior to beingtransferred to the player's reward point account.
 77. The method ofclaim 79 further comprising the steps of the player requesting to play apremium game which requires usage of reward points to be able to play,the gaming server subtracting points from the temporary player accountin exchange for allowing the player to play the premium game.
 78. Themethod of claim 79 wherein the predefined condition that initiatestransfer of reward points from the temporary player account into theplayer's reward point account is the player logging off from the gamingserver.
 79. A method of operating a networked gaming system comprisingthe steps of: at least two players, each associated with a game playingcomputer interconnected over a computer network with a gaming servercomputer, playing a game with each other over the computer network; thegaming server computer supervising at least part of the game beingplayed; at least one of the players being awarded with reward pointsbased on the outcome of the game played, said reward points stored intoa reward point account associated with the player.
 80. The method ofclaim 79 wherein the number of reward points awarded to a player iscorrelated to the complexity of the game played.
 81. The method of claim79 wherein the player's reward point account is stored on a rewardserver computer associated with an entity that provides other rewardpoints for transactions directly between the player and the entity. 82.The method of claim 81 wherein the reward points awarded to the playerare transferred into the player's reward point account immediately afterbeing awarded to the player by the gaming server.
 83. The method ofclaim 81 wherein the reward points awarded to the player are held in atemporary player account associated with the gaming server, and whereinpoints are subsequently transferred to the player's reward point accounton the occurrence of a predefined condition.
 84. The method of claim 81comprising the further steps of awarding additional reward points to theplayer based on additional game play, and accumulating said additionalreward points into the temporary player account prior to beingtransferred to the player's reward point account.
 85. The method ofclaim 83 further comprising the steps of the player requesting to play apremium game which requires usage of reward points to be able to play,the gaming server subtracting points from the temporary player accountin exchange for allowing the player to play the premium game.
 86. Themethod of claim 83 wherein the predefined condition that initiatestransfer of reward points from the temporary player account into theplayer's reward point account is the player logging off from the gamingserver.
 87. The method of claim 79 wherein reward points are deductedfrom a player's reward point account if the time that the playerrequires to complete a game is greater than a predetermined threshold.88. The method of claim 79 wherein reward points are deducted from aplayer's reward point account if the player loses a game.
 89. The methodof claim 79 wherein reward points are deducted from a player's rewardpoint account if a player fails to meet predetermined play criteriaduring play of a game.
 90. The method of claim 79 wherein reward pointsare deducted from a player's reward point account if a player requestsassistance in the game from the gaming server.
 91. The method of claim79 wherein reward points are added to a player's reward point account ifa player meets predetermined play criteria during play of a game. 92.The method of claim 79 wherein reward points are deducted from aplayer's reward point account if a player requests that the timeallotted to play a game be increased.
 93. The method of claim 79 whereinthe reward points awarded to a player are provided by a sponsor inexchange for sponsor advertisements served by the gaming server to thegame playing computers.
 94. The method of claim 97 wherein a player mayexchange reward points from his reward point account for a prizesupplied by the sponsor.
 95. A networked gaming system comprising: aplurality of game playing computers selectively interconnected over acomputer network, each of said game playing computers adapted to play agame with other game playing computers over the computer network; and agaming server computer selectively interconnected over the computernetwork to said game playing computers, said gaming server computeradapted to: generate a profile for each of a plurality of playersassociated with each of the game playing computers; and match at leasttwo of said players to play a game against each other based on theprofile of each of said players.
 96. The system of claim 95 wherein thegaming server is further adapted to supervise at least part of a gamebeing played by the players.
 97. The system of claim 95 wherein thegaming server generates a profile for each of a plurality of players byascertaining the proficiency of a player and including the ascertainedproficiency in the profile of the player.
 98. The system of claim 97wherein the gaming server ascertains the proficiency of a player byascertaining the proficiency of a player with respect to a game playedon the game playing computer.
 99. The system of claim 97 wherein thegaming server ascertains the proficiency of a player by providing aproficiency test to the player on the game playing computer.
 100. Thesystem of claim 99 wherein the gaming server is further adapted toprovide an additional proficiency test to the player on the game playingcomputer on the occurrence of a re-test condition.
 101. The system ofclaim 100 wherein the re-test condition is met when the player reaches apredefined level of play.
 102. The system of claim 100 wherein there-test condition is met when the player has played at least apredefined number of games.
 103. The system of claim 100 wherein there-test condition is met when the player has played less than apredefined number of games.
 104. The system of claim 100 wherein there-test condition is met when the player has won a predefined number ofgames.
 105. The system of claim 100 wherein the re-test condition is metwhen a predefined amount of time has expired.
 106. The system of claim100 wherein the gaming server is further adapted to award at least oneof the players with reward points based on the outcome of the gameplayed, said reward points stored into a reward point account associatedwith the player, and wherein the re-test condition is met when thenumber of reward points awarded to a player exceeds a predeterminedthreshold.
 107. The system of claim 100 wherein the gaming server isfurther adapted to award at least one of the players with reward pointsbased on the outcome of the game played, said reward points stored intoa reward point account associated with the player, and wherein there-test condition is met when the number of reward points awarded to aplayer is less than a predetermined threshold.
 108. The system of claim95 wherein the gaming server is further adapted to award at least one ofthe players with reward points based on the outcome of the game played,said reward points stored into a reward point account associated withthe player, and wherein players are matched based on the number ofpoints in their respective accounts.
 109. The system of claim 95 whereinthe gaming server ascertains the proficiency a player by measuring aproficiency score of the player with respect to a game played on thegame playing computer.
 110. The system of claim 109 wherein the gamingserver is further adapted to revise the proficiency score of a playerbased on the results of games played by the player.
 111. The system ofclaim 109 wherein the gaming server is adapted to measure a proficiencyscore of the player by: administering a game skill proficiency test tothe player; generating a proficiency score for the player representingthe player's proficiency in the test based on the success of the playerexecuting the test; and storing the player's proficiency score inmemory.
 112. The system of claim 109 wherein the gaming server isadapted to measure a proficiency score of the player by: monitoring agame played by the player, generating a proficiency score for the playerrepresenting the player's proficiency in the game, based on the successof the player playing the game; and storing the player's proficiencyscore in memory.
 113. The system of claim 95 wherein the gaming serveris adapted to generate a profile for each of a plurality of players byreceiving socioeconomic profile data from a game playing computer overthe computer network.
 114. The system of claim 113 wherein saidsocioeconomic profile data is selected from the group consisting of theplayer's age, the player's gender, the player's occupation, the player'sleisure interests, and the player's income level.
 115. The system ofclaim 113 wherein the socioeconomic profile data input by the playerinto the gaming server is verified by the gaming server before theplayer may be matched with other players.
 116. The system of claim 115wherein the gaming server verifies the socioeconomic profile data by anextrinsic system.
 117. The system of claim 115 wherein the gaming serververifies the socioeconomic profile data by an intrinsic system.
 118. Thesystem of claim 95 wherein the gaming server computer matches at leasttwo of said players to play a game by matching two players to play agame against each other over the computer network.
 119. The system ofclaim 95 wherein the gaming server computer matches at least two of saidplayers to play a game in accordance with match requests made byplayers.
 120. The system of claim 95 wherein the gaming server computermatches at least two of said players to play a game by forming at leasttwo teams of players, each team comprising at least two players, to playa game against each other over the computer network.
 121. The system ofclaim 120 wherein the teams are formed in accordance with team matchrequests made by players.
 122. The system of claim 95 wherein the gamingserver computer matches at least two of said players to play a game inaccordance with challenge requests made by players.
 123. The system ofclaim 95 wherein the gaming server computer requests certain players toplay based on predefined criteria.
 124. The system of claim 95 wherein asystem sponsor issues request for players having predefinedcharacteristics.
 125. The system of claim 120 wherein the game playedover the computer network requires a plurality of different roles to beplayed, wherein each role is assigned to a player by the gaming server.126. The system of claim 125 wherein the roles each have associatedproficiency requirements, and wherein a player is assigned a role in agame based on the proficiency requirements of the role matchingproficiency measurements contained in the profile of the player. 127.The system of claim 125 wherein a player is assigned a role in a gamebased on socioeconomic data in the profile of the player.
 128. Thesystem of claim 127 wherein said socioeconomic data is selected from thegroup consisting of the player's age, the player's gender, the player'soccupation, the player's leisure interests, the player's income level,and the player's ideology.
 129. The system of claim 125 wherein a playeris assigned a role in a game based on the geographic location of theplayer.
 130. The system of claim 95 wherein the gaming server computermatches at least two of said players to play a game in accordance with aphysical profile of the players.
 131. The system of claim 130 whereinthe physical profile comprises a physical description of the player anda photograph of the player.
 132. The system of claim 130 wherein thephysical profile comprises video images of the player.
 133. The systemof claim 130 wherein the physical profile comprises voice recordings ofthe player.
 134. The system of claim 130 wherein the physical profilecomprises biofeedback data of the player.
 135. The system of claim 131wherein the gaming server provides a screening function to matchrequests made by players based on a physical profile of the player. 136.The system of claim 95 wherein the gaming server is further adapted togenerate a profile for a team comprised of a plurality of players, andwherein the gaming server matches at least two teams to play a gamebased on the profile of each team.
 137. The system of claim 97 whereinthe gaming server is adapted,to match at least two of said players toplay a game by: receiving a request from a first player having a firstplayer proficiency score to be matched with another player to play agame; and determining a second player having a proficiency score withina predefined range of the first player.
 138. The system of claim 95wherein the gaming server is further adapted to issue an invitation to amatched player to play a game.
 139. The system of claim 138 wherein thegaming server is adapted to supervise a game between the second player,that has accepted the invitation to play a game with the first player,and the first player.
 140. The system of claim 95 wherein the gamingserver computer matches at least two of said players to play a gamebased on the profile of each of said players by matching players on thebasis of historical play between players.
 141. The system of claim 95wherein the gaming server computer is adapted to match at least two ofsaid players to play a game based on the profile of each of said playersby: obtaining match criteria from a player, and utilizing the matchcriteria to match said player with another player for game play. 142.The system of claim 141 wherein the match criteria comprisessocioeconomic criteria.
 143. The system of claim 142 wherein thesocioeconomic criteria is selected from the group consisting of aplayer's age, a player's gender, a player's occupation, a player'sleisure interests, and a player's income level, and the player'sideology.
 144. The system of claim 97 wherein the gaming server computeris adapted to match at least two of said players to play a game based onthe profile of each of said players by: receiving a request from a firstplayer to be matched with a second player having a relatively higherproficiency, and requesting a second player having a relatively higherproficiency to play the first player.
 145. The system of claim 144wherein the gaming server is further adapted to offer the second playerconsideration in exchange for playing a game against the first player.146. The system of claim 97 wherein the gaming server computer isadapted to match at least two of said players to play a game based onthe profile of each of said players by matching a first player having arelatively higher proficiency with a player having a relatively lowerproficiency by: determining a plurality of players having a relativelylower proficiency than the first player, and conducting an auction todetermine which of the plurality of players having a relatively lowerproficiency than the first player will be matched to play the firstplayer.
 147. The system of claim 95 the gaming server computer isadapted to automatically match at least two of said players to play agame based on the profile of each of said players.
 148. The system ofclaim 95 the gaming server computer is adapted to randomly match atleast two of said players to play a game based on the profile of each ofsaid players.
 149. The system of claim 95 wherein the gaming servercomputer is adapted to match at least two of said players to play a gamebased on the profile of each of said players by: receiving a requestfrom a first player to be matched with a second player to play a game,determining a plurality of players having a profile that matches thefirst player, providing to the-first player a list of the plurality ofplayers having a profile that matches the first player, and receiving aselection from the first player of one of the players from the list toplay a game.
 150. The system of claim 95 wherein the gaming servercomputer is adapted to match at least two of said players to play a gamebased on the profile of each of said players by: receiving a requestfrom a first player to be matched with a second player to play a game,determining a plurality of players having a profile that matches thefirst player and that are available for playing the game at the time ofthe first player's request, providing to the first player a list of theplurality of players having a profile that matches the first player andthat are available for playing the game at the time of the firstplayer's request, and receiving a selection from the first player of oneof the players from the list to play a game.
 151. The system of claim 95wherein a player selects a player to play from a list of availableplayers provided by the gaming server.
 152. The system of claim 95wherein the players are matched in the playing of a tournament, whereina player may enter the tournament at any time, and further wherein thetournament continues without defined termination criteria.
 153. Thesystem of claim 95 wherein the game played is selected from the groupconsisting of a game of chance, a game of skill, a fantasy role playinggame, an historical game, a knowledge-based game, a futuristic game, awar game, a psychological game, and a sports game.
 154. The system ofclaim 95 wherein the gaming server is adapted to modify controllableparameters of the game while it is being played by the players.
 155. Thesystem of claim 154 wherein the modifications made by the gaming servercorrespond to the proficiency level of the players.
 156. The system ofclaim 154 wherein the modifications made by the gaming server arerandom.
 157. The system of claim 154 wherein the modifications made bythe gaming server are selective.
 158. The system of claim 154 whereinthe modifications made by the gaming server are defined by predeterminedcriteria.
 159. The system of claim 97 wherein the gaming server selectsplayers of different proficiencies to play with each other, and whereina handicap is assigned to a player having a relatively higherproficiency than a player having a relatively lower proficiency. 160.The system of claim 97 wherein a player having a relatively higherproficiency is placed on a team by request of other players.
 161. Thesystem of claim 160 wherein the player having a relatively higherproficiency is assigned a handicap by the gaming server.
 162. The systemof claim 97 wherein the gaming server is further adapted to award atleast one of the players with reward points based on the outcome of thegame played, said reward points stored into a reward point accountassociated with the player.
 163. The system of claim 162 wherein thenumber of reward points awarded to a player is correlated to theproficiency of the player.
 164. The system of claim 163 wherein playershaving a relatively high proficiency are awarded with a relatively lowernumber of reward points.
 165. The system of claim 163 wherein playershaving a relatively high proficiency are awarded with a relativelyhigher number of reward points.
 166. The system of claim 162 wherein thenumber of reward points awarded to a player is correlated to thecomplexity of the game played.
 167. The system of claim 162 wherein theplayer's reward point account is stored on a reward server computerassociated with an entity that provides other reward points fortransactions directly between the player and the entity.
 168. The systemof claim 167 wherein the reward points awarded to the player aretransferred into the player's reward point account immediately afterbeing awarded to the player by the gaming server.
 169. The system ofclaim 167 wherein the reward points awarded to the player are held in atemporary player account associated with the gaming server, and whereinpoints are subsequently transferred to the player's reward point accounton the occurrence of a predefined condition.
 170. The system of claim169 wherein additional reward points are awarded to the player based onadditional game play, and accumulating said additional reward pointsinto the temporary player account prior to being transferred to theplayer's reward point account.
 171. The system of claim 169 wherein,with the player requesting to play a premium game which requires usageof reward points to be able to play, the gaming server subtract pointsfrom the temporary player account in exchange for allowing the player toplay the premium game.
 172. The system of claim 169 wherein thepredefined condition that initiates transfer of reward points from thetemporary player account into the player's reward point account is theplayer logging off from the gaming server.
 173. A networked gamingsystem comprising: a plurality of game playing computers selectivelyinterconnected over a computer network, each of said game playingcomputers adapted to play a game with other game playing computers overthe computer network; and a gaming server computer selectivelyinterconnected over the computer network to said game playing computers,said gaming server computer adapted to: supervise at least part of agame being played between a plurality of players associated with thegame playing computers; awarded at least one of the players with rewardpoints based on the outcome of the game played, said reward pointsstored into a reward point account associated with the player.
 174. Thesystem of claim 173 wherein the number of reward points awarded to aplayer is correlated to the complexity of the game played.
 175. Thesystem of claim 173 wherein the player's reward point account is storedon a reward server computer associated with an entity that providesother reward points for transactions directly between the player and theentity.
 176. The system of claim 175 wherein the reward points awardedto the player are transferred into the player's reward point accountimmediately after being awarded to the player by the gaming server. 177.The system of claim 175 wherein the reward points awarded to the playerare held in a temporary player account associated with the gamingserver, and wherein points are subsequently transferred to the player'sreward point account on the occurrence of a predefined condition. 178.The system of claim 177 wherein additional reward points are awarded tothe player based on additional game play and accumulated into thetemporary player account prior to being transferred to the player'sreward point account.
 179. The system of claim 177 wherein a playerrequests to play a premium game which requires usage of reward points tobe able to play, the gaming server subtracts points from the temporaryplayer account in exchange for allowing the player to play the premiumgame.
 180. The system of claim 177 wherein the predefined condition thatinitiates transfer of reward points from the temporary player accountinto the player's reward point account is the player logging off fromthe gaming server.
 181. The system of claim 173 wherein reward pointsare deducted from a player's reward point account if the time that theplayer requires to complete a game is greater than a predeterminedthreshold.
 182. The system of claim 173 wherein reward points arededucted from a player's reward point account if the player loses agame.
 183. The system of claim 173 wherein reward points are deductedfrom a player's reward point account if a player fails to meetpredetermined play criteria during play of a game.
 184. The system ofclaim 173 wherein reward points are deducted from a player's rewardpoint account if a player requests assistance in the game from thegaming server.
 185. The system of claim 173 wherein reward points areadded to a player's reward point account if a player meets predeterminedplay criteria during play of a game.
 186. The system of claim 173wherein reward points are deducted from a player's reward point accountif a player requests that the time allotted to play a game be increased.187. The system of claim 173 wherein the reward points awarded to aplayer are provided by a sponsor in exchange for sponsor advertisementsserved by the gaming server to the game playing computers.
 188. Thesystem of claim 187 wherein a player may exchange reward points from hisreward point account for a prize supplied by the sponsor.